Stop the World

 

November 2020 Blog

Not even sure whom I am petitioning anymore. Doubt anyone has the answer these days.

 

Cease and Desist: A Haiku

Stop the world and let

Me off, or barring that, give

Respite from the storms.

by Ann Wilmer-Lasky

 

But I do have #NaNoWriMo in November. So, for one whole month I can lose myself in writing my next novel.

I am sitting outside in the warm sunshine right now, which wouldn’t be strange except that we had eight inches of snow yesterday from a constant snow from two days before. Now it’s supposed to be over 70F in a couple of days.

It would be no wonder that everyone is getting sick, except for the fact that everybody has been getting sick for the last six months or so from that thing that has been going around that shall remain nameless from now on.

Not sure what my writing project for #NaNoWriMo will be. I should be able to finish the two novels I’ve been working on for the last two years – the sequel to “The Seasons of Sam Rock” and the prequel to my “The Chronicles of Acqueria: Blood Moon Treachery”. A combined 50,000 words should do it.

I am currently basking in the glory of my newly released Haiku collection, “Global Warning: Climate in Crisis”:  https://www.amazon.com/dp/B08KWQ6SHK/

For the remainder of the year, I am donating $1.00 from each book sold to https://www.planetbee.org/

They are dedicated to the education of children and adults on just how important bees are to our survival on this world.

At least I will feel that we have done something positive for the environment besides throwing words at the problem.

I hope all my readers and fellow writers have survived the Summer, and are heading into the Fall and Winter in good shape. We will need all our survival skills and a lot of luck to come through to the Spring intact.

I know a lot of things have to change before we can breathe easy again and expect to get some joy and satisfaction out of life. I won’t go into what changes we need to make.

All of my friends know where I stand and of what I write. I’m hoping the normal that was my life for so many years may be so again, and soon. I would like to spend my waning years with a modicum of the hope and pleasant anticipation for the future I grew accustomed to.

I smile just thinking about how I used to welcome the thought of retirement and leisure and travel and restaurants and concerts and ballgames and crowds – all maskless and gloveless. And, oh how I would love to hug someone.

Until next time, read and write to your heart’s content. My eclectic collection of reading matter may take your mind off things. Enjoy.

https://www.amazon.com/author/annwilmerlasky

As always, I welcome your reactions and responses to any of my blogs. I love to hear from my readers. Also, here are links to my Twitter and Facebook accounts, if you care to share your thoughts with me there or look for my publication announcements:

https://twitter.com/awlasky

https://www.facebook.com/ann.wilmerlasky

Hopefully, next month will find us all in the mood for some holiday festivities, as this month has not. Not anticipating any family gatherings or even going out to our favorite restaurant to enjoy their wonderful cuisine. Maybe some take-out, but somehow it’s just not the same.

 

 

 

Sakes Alive!

 

September 2020 Blog

Egads! Oh, my goodness! What a year this has been, and it isn’t over yet.

 

Sakes Alive: A Haiku

Amazing – how long

You can hold your breath waiting

For that other shoe.

by Ann Wilmer-Lasky

 

You just know it’s going to fall; you just don’t know when.

We may just yet survive the year 2020; I’m just not sure how we’re going to do it.

It’s been a toxic year for so many reasons. It’s been hard not to get burned in one way or another.

Fires are raging both literally and figuratively. Besides the devastation of the wildfires raging in the west and the Amazon, we have people raging out of control across America. And then there’s the pandemic. Haven’t seen much control over that lately, either.

In the midst of all of this, we are trying to live and make a living. Both of which are becoming more and more difficult to do as time goes by.

So who has the wherewithal to sit and read? Or to even write? Some of us do, and some of us must.

To that end, “Global Warning” will be published in September. I wish I could say it will take our minds off of “things” for awhile, but that’s not what it’s designed to do.

It’s actually designed to make us worry about one or two more things –  the “Climate Crisis” we have been ignoring since the pandemic hit, and just maybe  the current acidic political climate.

While we are ignoring the above, we are close to registering what may be the hottest summer in history, with the hottest day (130 degrees F) ever recorded in Death Valley, California. Epic storms are devastating our land with their winds and their deluges. (If only we could put that water to good use, dousing the over 500 wildfires raging in California alone.)

And then there’s the “Climate Crisis” among people. We can’t hug, we can’t shake hands. We can’t even breathe on one another. We are, however, in the wake of the lack of niceties, becoming far more hostile toward one another, unforgiving and intolerant. This may be the most devastating crisis of all, and will surely need to be overcome before we can accomplish other needed changes. At this point one can only hope for the best – literally – as it seems we are not in control of our own future. If we were, I would like to think that cooler, more intelligent heads would prevail.

But I digress from announcing the release of my latest Haiku collection. I plan on announcing its release date on my weekly Twitter chat forum, #CelebsForSmallBiz. We’re live on Fridays at 2:00 PM MDT.       It’s in the late evening in the UK from where it originates.

If you can’t catch the chat, I’ll also post it on Facebook once it’s cast in concrete (or relatively so). Look for it on Amazon around the 22^nd of September, maybe with the coming of Fall.

In the meantime, please be well and please be as kind to the people and the animals and the earth all around you as you possibly can. Kindness matters more than ever now.

Until next time, read and write to your heart’s content. My eclectic collection of reading matter may take your mind off of things. Enjoy.

https://www.amazon.com/author/annwilmerlasky

As always, I welcome your reactions and responses to any of my blogs. I love to hear from my readers. Also, here are links to my Twitter and Facebook accounts, if you care to share your thoughts with me there:

https://twitter.com/awlasky

https://www.facebook.com/ann.wilmerlasky

Hopefully, next month will find us all on the mend and on the upside of this thing, but that’s what I said last month, and it didn’t happen. However, I am still hoping...

 

 

 

Sh*tty! Sh*tty! Bang! Bang!

August 2020 Blog

I thought this would be over by now, but it seems, it’s barely started.

Teetering: A Haiku

Difficult it is

To remain sane as the world

Around you crumbles.

by Ann Wilmer-Lasky

Any little nudge and it’s over the edge. We have been buffeted about on several fronts, not the least of which is the ongoing and still escalating Covid-19 crisis.

It’s a difficult thing to realize that as a nation we cannot master the self-control necessary to bring this catastrophe under control. And that goes from the top down. Our cardboard captain is awash in a contaminated sea in a rudderless boat with ever-enlarging holes in it. Or so it seems.

I couldn’t even make a believable horror story out of that scenario.

Unfortunately, the things we are ignoring while dealing (or not dealing) with this pandemic are not going away. When all is said and done, they will rear up and kick us in the head.

First and foremost of these “things” is the “Climate Change” crisis. It’s on the back burner, just waiting to flare up and consume the Earth.

Okay, maybe that’s a little over the top, but give me a break. I am a poet. I can always claim “poetic license”.

My Haiku Chapbook, “Global Warning” will be published shortly. It will debut to little fanfare and probably little impact, but I am bound and determined that it be published.

I have little to say this month, except to hope all my friends and fellow authors are well and safe and will continue to be so.

After posting this, I’ll get back to that drawing board and finish formatting “Global Warning”. Who knows, maybe I’ll even find the inspiration to work on my “Acqueria” prequel or “Sam Rock” sequel. I have to do something to take my mind off of what’s going on in the world.

Maybe publishing my self-reflective magnum opus Haiku chapbook will lift my spirits, even if I don’t get it out by August 22^nd, the 100^th anniversary of my mentor Ray Bradbury’s birth. But I will get it done. I do still have some pride.

In the meanwhile, my husband and I will try to keep a low profile, stay home as much as possible, and wear a mask and gloves when we do go out.

Hopefully, we will see a slowdown in the virus that plagues us. Maybe we will even see a vaccine sometime soon. We can only hope, and hope is one of the few things we have left – that and maybe a prayer or two.

Until next time, read and write to your heart’s content. My eclectic collection of reading matter may take your mind off of things. Enjoy.

https://www.amazon.com/author/annwilmerlasky

As always, I welcome your reactions and responses to any of my blogs. I love to hear from my readers. Also, here are links to my Twitter and Facebook accounts, if you care to share your thoughts with me there:

https://twitter.com/awlasky

https://www.facebook.com/ann.wilmerlasky

Hopefully, next month will find us all on the mend and on the upside of this thing, and I promise I will check for comments before next month. :)

What a Month We’ve Had!

June 2020 Blog

As I write this, I am waiting for Space X to launch. It will be the first American venture into space in nine years. I am praying it goes well. We need something to go right, right now.

Fair Wind: A Haiku

I would the breeze could

Blow ill-will, disease afar

And good be anchored.

by Ann Wilmer-Lasky

Still, nothing has gone as planned.  The world has descended further into chaos. Not only do we have a grossly underrated planet-wide pandemic to worry about, the U.S. is currently under siege.

We are rapidly devolving into anarchy, sparked by a single heinous act of abuse of power. And all that’s happening seems to be fomented by the prevalent attitude from the highest of positions.

So,  who can concentrate on writing, editing and publishing during all of this? Surprisingly enough, I have made great strides toward publication of “Global Warning”. I am within weeks (maybe days) of getting it all together.

Writing and editing on the Sam Rock sequel and the Chronicles of Acqueria prequel? Not so much. Kind of hard to slip into other realities with such a persistent, horrendous real world constantly in your face.

I can’t see anything getting easier anytime soon with the months rolling by and a divisive election looming before year’s end.

Perhaps, I should just keep my head down and dive into my projects, but I feel it would be irresponsible not to keep abreast of what’s happening.  If only for my own health and safety and that of  my family.

No matter what your politics, we need to unite and promote peace and harmony. Cooperation is not a bad word, neither is compromise. And it’s about time the needs of the many really outweighed the needs of the few.  (Remember, Spock died for that premise.)

On a more local and immediate note, I badly need a haircut. Salons are opening on a limited basis starting June 1^st in my state. One probably needs to make an appointment and very few will be served at one time, but I will celebrate when I can get in. And I’m considering getting a  boy-cut, so I don’t have to worry about it for a while.

Next, I can’t wait for the opening of my favorite restaurant in Roswell, “Peppers Grill and Bar”. I will be there with bells on, regardless of the restrictions. They make a great “California Burger” with guacamole on it.  My  mouth is watering as I write this.

I would like to go where I want when I want, but I am afraid that won’t be for a long time.

In the meantime, I am glued to CNN, watching the protests. I understand there are demonstrations in over 30 cities across the nation. I have never seen anything like this in my lifetime.

In fact, just this year (and it’s only 5 months old) I have seen so much I have never seen before – regarding anarchy, raging pandemic, and a general nastiness. It’s all unprecedented.

I’m also sure, when this dies down, we will again discover irreparable damage to our environment. Although, the worldwide shut down of so much seems to have improved air quality throughout major metropolitan areas. We can be thankful that, I guess. But then, I’m sure it won’t last long once we fire everything up again.

I hope all my faithful readers and fellow writers are well and safe at this writing. I wish us all a summer of wellness and prosperity, but I realize that is extremely optimistic.

It seems the Space X launch has gone well and is on its way to being a success. I salute all the  men and women  who have afforded us the one moment of happy triumph in the midst of all this pandemonium.

I hope  I will have better news about better times to blog about next month, but I’m not holding my breath until it comes true. I’m now watching the police in Chicago (joined by the State Police) using tear gas against protestors turned destructive rioters. I’m done for now. I’m turning on a  PBS  show about early rock and roll.

Until next time, sit back relax and enjoy a good book.  I have several to offer:

https://www.amazon.com/author/annwilmerlasky

As always, I welcome your reactions and responses to any of my blogs. I love to hear from my readers. Also, here are links to my Twitter and Facebook accounts, if you care to share your thoughts with me there:

https://twitter.com/awlasky

https://www.facebook.com/ann.wilmerlasky

As I post this, the lockdown is gradually being lifted, but there are still concerns for the spreading of the virus, maybe soon on an accelerated level. I have yet to become stark raving mad, but I am getting closer. Maybe working on “Global Warning” will help.

           

Madwoman on Deadline

March 2020 Blog

Deadlines are not crossed without consequences.

Slippage: A Haiku

Hate it when “By Spring,

I will...” suddenly becomes

“By Summer, I must...”

by Ann Wilmer-Lasky

I finally did it! I set some goals in concrete, complete with a “thou shalt not pass this line!” I even made a calendar for each of the two projects I am tracking in my “Diary of a #Madwoman on #Deadline (posted on Twitter).

The new publishing date for my “Global Warning” chapbook is now “Earth Day” (April 22, 2020) and for “The Early Years” prequel to “Chronicles of Acqueria” it’s the 1^ST day of Summer (June 20, 2020).

I’d love to say things are going swimmingly, but of course “Real Life” is already getting in my way. The goals, however, are do-able, and I’m still gung-ho about meeting those deadlines.

“Global Warming” will contain about 125 environmentally inspired Haiku along with other verse and comments.

I will use this picture, taken by my husband here locally for the cover. As you can see we are suffering drought conditions. This winter’s weather has done nothing to alleviate those conditions. It’s been warm and dry, and I fear the coming summer.

Perhaps in some small way, my offering will sway some minds. More people must be convinced  that “Global Warming” is real. Perhaps calling it “Climate Change” or “Climate Emergency” will help. Something must, before we reach that “tipping point” beyond which we cannot survive.

Also, we are already so close to the “Doomsday Clock” that it’s frightening. I wish more people would be alarmed about that. But now, there’s a pandemic to worry about. Unless we stick to the “filtered” news (or rather censored) that will be disseminated to us by someone else’s choosing.

No wonder I prefer to sit in the middle of my fenced-in (privacy fencing) backyard with only my wieners and my birds and the squirrels to interrupt me, as I sit and write about worlds over which I have control.

“The Early Years” manuscript is going well. My protagonist and my antagonist are about to come to life-shattering odds. Hopefully, the good guys win and live to fight another day, to face the conflict again in another novel. Oh, wait, they already do, since this is a prequel to “The Chronicles of Acqueria, Blood Moon Treachery”. (It has not been easy making certain that the prequel matches up with it. But I’ve done my due diligence, and successfully, I hope.

Looking beyond these two projects, I will be reworking my “Sam Rock” sequel, incorporating some great observations from my “Sam Rock” narrator and personification of the detective himself, Steve Hamm, also a Life Flight helicopter pilot in Ohio. (I promise the Audio book is coming soon.)

Next month, assuming the world population survives the Corona Virus, I will offer updates on all my projects. It’s heartwarming to know I have loyal readers and friends out there who are looking forward to my books. It’s nice to feel appreciated for one’s talents.

Until next time, keep the faith. Keep writing and keep reading. Enjoy what makes you happy. There is far too little happiness in this world these days.

This month, I’m again featuring “The Chronicles of Acqueria: Blood Moon Treachery”. It is a young adult coming-of-age story of a strong young lady growing up in a patriarchal society. See how she copes. Available from Amazon: https://tinyurl.com/y96zzp9u

My featured poetry for March is again “The Castleweaver's Tales: A Dozen Glimpses of Medieval Madness: 25th Anniv. Ed” – available from Amazon at: https://tinyurl.com/y9d8czj4

As always, I welcome your reactions and responses to any of my blogs. I love to hear from my readers. Also, here are links to my Twitter and Facebook accounts, if you care to share your thoughts with me there:

https://twitter.com/awlasky

https://www.facebook.com/ann.wilmerlasky

As all of my books are available on Amazon, I’m also including a link to my Amazon Author’s page. Feel free to visit me there also:

https://www.amazon.com/-/e/B003SH6HIQ

Renewed!

January 2020 Blog

We, who survived the year just past, let us rejoice in the present.

Renewed: A Haiku

Salute! And Welcome!

The New Year lives and breathes and

I along with it.

by Ann Wilmer-Lasky

The above is Haiku #2192. I posted Haiku #1 on Twitter on Jan 1, 2014. Like the Energizer Bunny, I just keep going and going and...

It is time to rejoice.  We have been given a brand new year. It is also time to hope that we make better use of it and our resources than we did in 2019.

For  me, that would mean more writing, more editing and more publishing – more of the things that matter and less of the things that don’t.

I also need to find a writing space inside, since winter has finally taken hold, and even in the sun, it is too cold for me to write outside in my beloved backyard.

Right now, I’m considering writing in bed, under the quilts, listening to classical music. Think that will be my best bet.  I’m sure the puppies will want to snuggle up and help. (As I am writing this, I’m sitting outside in the cold sun, freezing my little fingers off. Not sure where my gloves are.)

But regardless of where I decide to write, I need to write – like Stephen King says to do – at least 1,000 words a day. (Seems to work for him, although I’m certain he writes more than that.)

I also need to set aside a bigger chunk of time for editing, publishing and promotion. The last being my least favorite thing to do.  I never could sell anything – not even real estate. (Tried that back in the ‘70’s.)

I’m actually looking forward to this year. It’s brand new and comes full of promise. We should all see what we can do with it, explore all it has to offer, and choose its best.

The best for me will come with sequels and prequels published along with my protest of climate change denial. I need to add my voice to Greta Thunberg’s and Jane Fonda’s and do what I can to help more people realize that we are indeed close to the tipping point – that point beyond which we can do nothing to reverse the damage we have done to this Earth.

My voice may not be as loud as the two I have mentioned, but I would join their chorus gladly and shout “Climate Change Emergency” to the rooftops.

I’m also anxious to get more audio books released. I’ve had such great response to “The Cottage” audio book narrated so brilliantly by Christine Brewer that I can’t wait to see how my other novels do.

“The Seasons of Sam Rock” narrated by Steve Hamm is in final editing. I’m going to put “The Aurora UFO Incident - A Novel” out for audition next and then “The Chronicles of Acqueria: Blood Moon Treachery”. They all deserve to have their own voice – so to speak.

The newly scheduled publication date for “Global Warning” is now Earth Day (April 22, 2020).  Couldn’t  think of a more appropriate day.

Hopefully, with the renewed interest of so many people, this Haiku collection will help spread the word that the Earth is in trouble, and the entire world needs to act to stop the damage from getting worse –  if we cannot reverse what we have done.

I am still looking for an environmental group to which to donate $1.00 of the proceeds from the sale of each book. Haven’t made a decision on that yet.

To all my writer friends out there, let’s make 2020 a great year for getting those manuscripts in tip-top shape. Ready to publish or ready to hit the market in search of an agent or publisher. We can do this. We are writers. That’s what we do, and that’s what makes us happiest.

To all my faithful readers out there, I will have more new novels and poetry chapbooks out there for your reading pleasure, and soon.

I will be drawing up a project matrix that I actually intend to follow this year. So you will be seeing the prequel to “The Chronicles of Acqueria: Blood Moon Treachery”, the sequel to “The Seasons of Sam Rock”, the novel version of “The Castleweaver”, and several Haiku Chapbooks along with “Global Warning”.

I will also be republishing the long lost “Rainbows and Unicorns”, since I recently found the original poetry that went into it.

Busy, busy, busy, as I am sure you will all be also. So, here’s to a great 2020!  May our weather be moderate, our creativity at its peak, and our valiant efforts be rewarded.

This month, I’m featuring “The Aurora UFO Incident - A Novel”. It is available from Amazon at https://tinyurl.com/yb875xw4 . I’ll be starting the #AudioBook process soon for release this summer. It is suitable for middle-grade and above, so the whole family can enjoy it.

My featured poetry for January is  “Life’s Lemons and Lemonade: A Collection of Haiku, Volume One: One For The Book” – available from Amazon at https://tinyurl.com/ycnu2kvt . It features comments from some of my Twitter friends (some of whom are no longer with us – may they rest in peace) It is one of my favorite collections.

Until next time, keep the faith. Keep writing and keep reading. Enjoy what makes you happy. There is far too little happiness in this world these days.

As always, I welcome your reactions and responses to any of my blogs. I love to hear from my readers. Also, here are links to my Twitter and Facebook accounts, if you care to share your thoughts with me there:

https://twitter.com/awlasky

https://www.facebook.com/ann.wilmerlasky

As all of my books are available on Amazon, I’m also including a link to my Amazon Author’s page. Feel free to visit me there also:

https://www.amazon.com/-/e/B003SH6HIQ